MJ_Padfoot
–God gave me you for the ups and downs.
God gave me you for the days of doubt.
And for when I think I’ve lost my way,
There are no words here left to say, –It’s true.â€
God gave me you.â€
-Blake Shelton, –God Gave Me Youâ€
Even now, I’ve had to repeat these words to myself after graduation from Hogwarts. Currently, I’m dating Ron. We’ve been together for the past two years. While he’s worked at the Ministry and as I’ve finished up school and some extra training, marriage has slowly crept into my mind. It all started when Ron asked me if I saw us dating and being together for the rest of our lives.
I had to think about it for a long time.
We had our good times. We had our bad times. We even broke up once because Ron got scared about the marriage. But this was something new. He did a full 180 degree turn on this topic. I never seriously considered marriage until now. But watching Harry and Ginny get married last year, my mind was changed. I knew what I wanted to happen. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Ron--even if that meant I had to tell him up front. After everything that we had been through, I couldn’t imagine a second without him.
So, I made up my mind. I told him that I could see us spending the rest of our lives together. And that’s when he smiled and said, –Perfect. Do you want to go look at rings?â€
I swear, we looked at rings for hours and hours. We went to a jeweler shop in Diagon Alley (I never had noticed it before) and finally, we found the right one. It was simple. It had five small diamonds across the golden band. Thankfully, none of them stuck out so it wouldn’t get caught on anything.
I was so excited. So was he. We both laughed and told the salesman about our story. Once we finished, the salesman said, –Well, looks like you two have been through it all.†We all chuckled and thanked him for his time.
Before we Apperated, Ron said, –We have been through it all. The ups. The downs. We’ve conquered everything.â€
I smiled and said, –Almost everything.†We still had to conquer the wedding. But I’d deal with that once we got officially engaged.
As the weeks went by, Christmas time rolled around. Ron invited me to Christmas dinner since my parents had flown out of the country for the holidays. They had invited me but I told them that I couldn’t get work off--which was true.
Molly, Ginny, Fleur, and I helped prepare dinner while the boys played Wizard’s Chess or talked about Ministry matters. While I was helping Molly, she asked me if I had ever been to the swing. The swing was famous spot amongst the Weasleys. I answered no and she then smiled and asked me to hand her the salt.
I couldn’t figure out why she asked me that until we were eating dinner.
–Ron,†said Molly, –you should take Hermione to the swing.â€
He smiled and then said, –I have a better idea.â€
I looked at him slightly confused. Ginny giggled. After Ron glared at her, he said, –After dinner though.â€
~*~
–Ron, it’s freezing out here. Can’t we go back inside?†I pleaded. It was snowing at the Burrow. Ron had requested that we go on a Christmas Eve walk. I didn’t object. Now, I was wishing that I had. I was starting to lose feeling in my toes. That was definitely a sign to go warm up.
–Not yet. I want to show you something.â€
We were walking hand in hand down a narrow path. It was dark and not a sound could be heard. I kept silent as I followed him. Finally, he came to a tree with a swing on it. –This was your better idea?†I asked, –Can we go back now, I’m freezing?â€
–Oh, just wait. It gets better.†said Ron. I had a hunch of what was about to take place here. Molly always reminded Ginny and I that a man worth marrying would take us to a swing and propose to us there--and if he didn’t, he wasn’t worth our time. I always thought that this was funny until I found out that was how she got engaged. I could feel the chills run down my spine as I realized what was about to happen.
–Hermione . . .†he started.
–Yes?†We sat down on the swing and I smiled.
–I . . .I just . . .†Ron sighed, –Ah, I’m a git. I don’t know how to say this. But I . . . Hermione, I . . . I love you so much. I can’t imagine my life without you. Since we met on the train our first year, I’ve always have liked you. And more than anything, I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. God gave me you when I needed you the most. He knew that throughout Hogwarts and with the war that I would need you.â€
Tears filled my eyes. I brushed them away and smiled at him.
Ron continued, –Hermione, I love you. No one will ever understand how much I love you. You are the one I want to be with for the rest of my life. And . . . I know that this is a big step, but we can do it. I know we can.†Slowly, Ron got down on one knee. –Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?â€
Smiling, while the tears slowly rolled down my cheeks, I whispered, –Yes, I will.â€
As we walk back to the Burrow, laughing and talking about the wedding, I recall the words my Dad said to me so long ago. I guess that a happily ever after doesn’t just end after marriage. It is what happens before, during, and after marriage. It is continuously adding more to the story. Every bump in the road will keep us close together because God gave us each other for the ups and downs--even the ones that we aren’t expecting.